Wonderful.  Thank you for this forward, Sarah.  I have dozens of friends
and colleagues who will be very happy to sign this and share it with
others.
Jane

On Sat, 2008-07-12 at 14:34 -0600, Sarah Hoagland wrote:
> ------ Forwarded Message
> From: Jackie Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:16:26 -0700 (PDT)
> To: Jackie Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Important info and petition..
> 
> 
> 
> "It is part of our task as revolutionary people, people who want
> deep-rooted, radical change, to be as whole as it is possible for us to
> be. This can only be done if we face the reality of what oppression
> really means in our lives, not as abstract systems subject to analysis,
> but as an avalanche of traumas leaving a wake of devastation in the
> lives of real people who nevertheless remain human, unquenchable,
> complex and full of possibility." Aurora Levins Morales, Medicine
> Stories
> Hello,
> 
> I wanted to share with you this "Call to Action", which Ann Russo & I
> developed.  It is also attached as a PDF file.
> 
> We both hope that you will share it with your networks and friends, and
> sign onto the letter at:
> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-false-race-gender-divide.  If you
> do forward the email, please share
> the email address associated with this Call to Action:
> calltoaction2008@ gmail.com
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Melissa Spatz
> 
> 
> Stop the False Race/Gender Divide: A Call to Action
> 
> We are calling on white progressive women activists and feminists to
> join us in challenging the onslaught of reactionary and racist
> arguments being put forward in the name of feminism and in defense of
> Hillary Clinton. We are saddened and frustrated by the abandonment of
> feminist commitments to the freedom and liberation of all women from
> all forms of oppression.  We stand with all the women who have stepped
> up in the past several months to say no to this kind of feminism –
> including Barbara Ransby, Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Kimberlé Crenshaw
> and Eve Ensler, Zillah Eisenstein, Suzanne Pharr, among others. We are
> adding our voices to this dialogue as white women grounded in the
> feminist movement and actively engaged in issues impacting women and
> girls.
> 
> We strongly disagree with this reactive critique of sexism that has
> been grounded in a denial of the ongoing legacies of racism and white
> supremacy.  The misogyny and sexism directed against Hillary Clinton
> are real and must be called out and challenged.  However, a critique of
> sexism must not be at the expense of addressing racism and other forms
> of oppression.  The misogyny is deplorable to say the least, and yet it
> must not be used as a reason to deny racism, to distance ourselves from
> struggles against racism, and/or to perpetrate racism in defense of
> "women."
> 
> We need to resist and refuse this exclusive, defensive, and racist
> politics if we are serious about coalitional, broad-based,
> interconnected women's solidarity movements.  For white women, an
> exclusive and defensive focus on sexism denies accountability for our
> racial privilege. It erases our own complicity in the multiple systems
> of oppression that shape our lives, perspectives, and allegiances.  We
> believe these politics significantly undermine the efforts of many
> women – especially women of color – to create feminisms that are
> grounded in multiple identities and in struggles against multiple
> oppressions.  They destroy the possibilities for coalition, alliance,
> and solidarity across our differences and inequalities of race,
> sexuality, immigration status, gender identity, age, and more.
> 
> Here in Chicago, we have dialogued with white women and women of color
> as a way of challenging the racial divides being promoted by some white
> feminists and the mainstream media.  We feel that as white feminists it
> is imperative that we speak out publicly against the racism and
> divisiveness that we are seeing.  We therefore offer the following
> statement of our refusals and commitments.
> 
> We invite you to join us in our efforts.  We are calling on white
> progressive women to take a stand by signing onto this letter and
> distributing it far and wide.  We welcome all progressive activists,
> including women of color and allies, to sign the letter as well.  Add
> your signature to http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 1/stop-the-
> false-race- gender-divide.  We will share this letter and signatures
> with a variety of feminist, progressive, as well as mainstream media.
> 
> Signed,
> Ann Russo & Melissa Spatz
> calltoaction2008@ gmail.com
> 
> 
> ------ End of Forwarded Message